Breakfast at The Empress Restaurant

The last time that Angela had seen her father was also at this restaurant last Tuesday, where her father invited the Burkes. She's still a little mad about it, but she brushed it off, hoping he wouldn't pull the same stunt today. And she was glad that when she and Oliver arrived, it was just the three of them—a typical meal with her family.

Halfway through their meal, her father changed his attention from Oliver to her. "I heard you went to a charity event last night with Stone. How was it?"

Angela was half surprised that her father already heard about it, though it wasn't a big deal. After all, she saw a lot of people there who had connections with her father. And with her arm hooked with Vincent's as they entered the place, there was bound to be one chatty being who'd go tattle to father dearest. Word sure traveled fast in Mayne City.

She lifted the corners of her mouth as she looked at her father, but not before catching Oliver's arched brow, of course. "It was okay. I saw Aunt Collette there with her new husband. We just said 'Hi' before she hurried away." The woman was her father's third cousin who changed 'husbands' like she changed underwear. Her father muttered something about her aunt always being an attention seeker since a teenager. Then Angela shifted the subject towards the good news about her foundation getting that help from Ms. Cox.

"That's great, sweetheart! I'm so happy for you." A genuine smile spread across her father's face, making her smile as well. "I've heard Mr. Whitman was engaged, but I didn't know his partner had that position. I say either he's a lucky man who's getting married again, or that Stone was lucky to have known how Whitman's fiancée could help your project."

"Yeah, I guess the connection came in a full circle…" Angela muttered.

"We should invite Mr. Stone to dinner tonight to thank him—furthermore, he was also granted the investment. It's a double celebration!"

She darted her gaze to her brother, and her brows furrowed before looking at her father again. "There's no need to celebrate, Dad. It's still too early. Ms. Cox and I haven't signed or planned anything. Besides, Vincent's flight back to California is at eleven this morning."

Chairman Su checked the time on his watch and then turned to face his assistant. "Call Stone and tell him we're going to meet for dinner. There's still an hour before his flight. He can still make changes." Then he faced his daughter again while his assistant stepped to the corner to make the phone call. "There. It's been taken care of."

"Dad, you're changing the man's plans. Vincent said he was visiting his foster family later. He might only be available today for them—"

The assistant interrupted her words, informing her father that Vincent Stone agreed to meet them for dinner tonight. Angela could only let out a small sigh. She didn't like inconveniencing Vincent.

"See? It's all good," said Chairman Su. "Stone and I have a good relationship, but if he really needed to go, he could have said no." Angela lifted a shoulder, not knowing what to say anymore, and continued to eat her food. Her father added, "I see you call him by his first name. You two must have gotten close. That's good."

"We're friends," was her curt answer.

"I like that man. He's very hardworking. Did you know he started his now big company with only ten thousand dollars? Vincent Stone worked from the ground up using money that he saved from his part-time jobs. He took a gamble, and now he's at the top. I like that fellow. He's good for you."

Angela saw where her father was going with this. While she was impressed by Vincent's background despite his struggles, she couldn't see him as a man that she'd fall for. Because if that was the case, she would have already fallen for him. "He's indeed a good man, but we're just friends, Dad. I'm not interested in being more than that with him."

Chairman Su nodded. "Well, being friends can be a good start. He's had a few dating rumors in the past, but he assured me they were nothing but petty gossip. He can be a little obnoxious sometimes, that young fellow, but that's just part of his charm." He chuckled before taking a sip of his mimosa.

She couldn't agree more. Angela remembered the first time she met Vincent right in this very room three months ago when her father arranged that dinner. She'd laugh at that memory and even teased Vincent about it now that they've grown closer. But after knowing more about the guy, he was more than just the controlling freak he was. He's actually a good person whom she didn't mind spending her time with. She liked Vincent—but not romantically, and they both already talked about that.

Her father moved on from talking about Vincent to asking her about her dates. "How are the bachelors you've been meeting these past few weeks? Anyone you find who has potential?"

Angela let out an exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes as she said, "They're a joke, Dad. Apart from the weirdos, others are just douchebags. One started singing in the middle of our dinner. I wouldn't have minded if it didn't sound creepy at all, but the guy could have been hiding dead animals in his basement."

"You really have a wild imagination." Chairman Su laughed then looked at his two children as he shared, "You know your grandmother arranged dates for me back in the days. There was this one woman who was also very strange. She wanted to cut a few strands of my hair at the end of our dinner. When I asked her why, she just said she had to—that she was collecting. I never saw her again after that. I ran away as fast as I could and never looked back."

Angela and Oliver laughed at the hilarious image they had in mind of their father in his younger years and that woman he dated who wanted to cut his hair for a collection. So many strange people in this world.

"You couldn't have done more background research about these bachelors, Dad?" she questioned.

"Sweetheart, that's the point of dating, isn't it? To get to know these men. I ran police checks on them, making sure they're harmless. And I know you're smart enough not to get tricked by them. You're my daughter. You've been through a lot, but you never let that define you. I just want to see you moving on and try seeing other people. You'll never know who you'll meet."

Well...if he put it like that, how could she argue with him? The truth was, before her father arranged these dates, her life had been a little sedentary. Sure she had her books, but she didn't go out that much to meet guys. She'd dated a few times after Evan, but those didn't really last long. Besides, after meeting those bachelors, she was able to create sets of characters for her future stories, inspired by the men she met in the past months—so it wasn't a total loss for her.

"Ah," Chairman Su started. "Next weekend is going to be busy for most because it's almost Christmas day. So I've arranged your dates from Tuesday to Thursday. If you're not going to invite Vincent Stone for the Su's Party on the 23rd, you have a few more men in your selection."

Angela frowned. She definitely won't invite Vincent even if she didn't mind his company. First, that Su family party was a reunion of their clan. Second, they weren't dating. There's no way she'd bring him to a family event. "I don't know… I don't need to have a date on 23rd."

"Your brother's going to bring someone. He told me he invited his new girlfriend."

Oliver, who had been quiet for a while now, smiled and began telling their father more about this woman he's dating. He seemed really smitten with her. Angela hadn't met her yet.

Her mind suddenly drifted to Gael. Her cheeks flushed at the thought of him seeing the pink notes around his bedroom. She sure dug a hole for herself. The thought of him made her brain go a little fuzzy. She picked up her glass of mimosa and downed the whole thing. The words that came out of her surprised the room—even herself. "Actually, I'm sort of seeing someone."

Chairman Su and Oliver snapped their heads toward her. She swallowed. The mimosa must have had more champagne than she thought it had because she was suddenly spouting nonsense.

"Sort of?" Oliver probed, cocking a brow.

"I'm seeing someone," she clarified, then she gulped, shoving the lie down her throat. "That changes things, right, Dad? I don't have to go to those dates you arranged anymore?" She smiled, hoping she didn't look weird.

"And who is this man?" Chairman Su asked.

Just then, her phone buzzed. She caught sight of the sender's name, and she opened it quickly.

[ Gael: You're wicked. ]

[ Angela: What? ] she replied.

[ Gael: I saw your hate notes. ]

Her father called her attention, and in a panic, she blurted, "I'll bring him tonight."